


Organic Martyr; Industrial Rot

by superfast_pinetree



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/F, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other, Rehabilitation, Sonic Forces, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 00:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21127946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superfast_pinetree/pseuds/superfast_pinetree
Summary: The Resistance had been forced to live under the earth, the entirety of the world being taken over three long years after the initial attack. With the Resistance on its last pegs and the world slowly polluted to Eggman's and Infinite's liking, all seems lost. Silver and Shadow, however, leave home base not only on a search for new members, but on a search for the presumed dead Sonic.With everyone on the surface out to get them, they can only hope to find their long lost leader, dead or alive.





	1. Island-bound.

Silence filled the air, making the deep orange sky thick and heavy. Even though the sun was setting over the horizon, the world was filled with an unearthly glow- everything, from wilted grass to abandoned shacks, being outlined with a sickly warm color. The distant rising spikes that were massive buildings puffed out jet black clouds, accentuating the harsh, weighed down air; obscuring any normal cloud that came in sight. It was a twisted sense of tranquility, a calm before the storm: or perhaps a threatening calm after it.

Amongst the cramped cities and industrial factories, and amongst the oily water that slowly swallowed the ocean whole, sat a tiny island. It had too been eaten by the polluted landscape: the beaches was swampy and disgusting, the palm trees drooping towards the ground and the grass only growing in pathetic little patches. There was no sign of life whatsoever- and it simply came across as another organic landmass destroyed by the growth of industrialism. It seemed like the planet itself, as far as anyone could see- had been completely taken over.

But even with such an advance of pollution, there were still the tiniest seedlings of organic life.  
  
A palm tree near the innermost center of the island collapsed, breaking the silence and making a puff of dust and debris rise into the air, obscuring the sickly orange sky, for just a few moments. It would be assumed that the tree’s death came from a slow and painful lack of nutrients, but soon enough a figure came into view, slightly obscured by dying bushes and beachgrass.

The figure was pure white, almost polished platinum, if they weren’t covered with the stains of survival. Dirt covered patches of white fur and scars pulled the neat lines apart, revealing small slivers of battered skin. One pointy, animal-like ear had been nicked, the other ripped clean off. Despite the battered down look of the thing it still held an aura of power, as it easily tore the palm tree in half with a concentrated blast of psychic power. From then, they would cut up the log into smaller and more manageable pieces, placing them in a circular motion and setting the pile of wood alight with one last wisp of psychics. As they sat back on a moss-laden boulder, they sighed, and watched as the sun finally went beyond the horizon.

Another figure came from the crooked trees, sitting beside the silvery Mobian and bending down in genuine exhaustion. This was a similarly bodied being as the first- a Mobian hedgehog, with jet black fur that streaked red in small patches on their quills. They were even more scratched than the white being, with one particular nasty scratch that ran along their white chest fur. While the white hedgehog’s disposition was tired but optimistic, this being simply radiated negativity.

As the orange sky darkened to a nearly black crimson, and the air filled with sounds of creaking trees and struggling fireflies, the two huddled closer to the pitiable little fire. “This is better than nothing, I suppose.” The first one would speak, finally breaking the heavy silence that seemed to be everywhere.

The white hedgehog continues. “...You know, Shadow,” they turn their head slightly, dipping it towards the rustic little bonfire. “despite the circumstances, I still find it funny, living like this. A couple traditional folk that live against all the machines.” They smile, a small scoff, and look down towards the ground.

“Mmm.” The second Mobian, Shadow, acknowledges the first’s words with a slight grumble. He seems a lot less enthusiastic about the endeavor; gently bouncing his leg up and down as he crosses one over the other. “Don’t get too absorbed by the festivities.” He speaks, and holds his arm up to his muzzle, gently tapping a small device that was strapped to his appendage. “We still have a job, you know.” 

The silvery being visibly deflated, letting out a soft breath through their teeth, glancing towards Shadow before they look towards the flames. “Just trying to make this a little less stressful, is all.” Their voice comes out as a soft mumble, nicked ear flicking slightly and tail wiggling up and down. Amber eyes look from the fire to Shadow, back and forth, before they eventually land on the device that was held to the male’s arm. For a moment, they perk upwards. “Did you…?”

As if to accentuate the white hedgehog’s words, a holographic screen flickers from the device on Shadow, making the two Mobians squint before they were adjusted to the harsh blue light. As the two squish together to look into the screen, a voice crackles from the little machine.  _ “Shadow? Silver? Are you there?”  _ The voice was fuzzy, the connection occasionally making the voice cut off. But that didn’t stop the two hedgehogs from sagging in relief.

“We’re here!” Silver, the white one of the two, speaks. His voice is filled with hopeful excitement, and he interrupts Shadow’s confirmation of being there with a brisk “We’re safe! Oh, are you okay? Did anything happen at home base?” Silver nearly takes up Shadow’s vision, making the other shove Silver with a soft grunt. “I’m here too.” Shadow sighs, exasperated.

The device seems to flicker off into nothing, making Shadow gruffly tap his arm until it came back with an uncertain wobble. A voice faintly comes into view; they had begun to talk when the communicator went offline.  _ “...Amy had a close run-in with one of those Metal clones, but thankfully she and everyone else are accounted for. No one’s found base, thankfully. We’re expanding beyond into new territory underground.” _ Both Shadow and Silver share a concerned, but thankfully relieved look.  _ “We thought we… lost you back there.”  _ Even with the crackle and fuzz of a broken connection, the hesitation in the voice was as clear as day. It made the two hedgehogs hesitate themselves.

“Don’t worry Tails.” Shadow spares a rare moment of comfort, closing his eyes as he thinks to himself. He could only imagine what would happen if either of them had been caught, or worse. “We’re smart, we can fend for ourselves. That’s why Knuckles planned for us to leave, right?” A tense silence comes between the three, and eventually, soft voice wavers from the device.  _ “...You’re right. We- I- ...We know you can handle it.”  _

Silver, with his arms tensed and body outlined with stressed psychic energy, quickly breaks the silence that permeated from those words. “Our mission has been stagnant for a while.” Shadow nods in agreement, even if Tails isn’t there to see it. “There’s no sign of life that isn’t under Eggman’s reign. It’s city after city, over and over. He really did take over all of the world, even if we don’t want to believe it…” He looks down towards the grass, sullen.

Shadow takes over where Silver left off. “The oceans are being flooded with oil and the mainland’s ground is covered with metallic plating. There’s truly nothing left.” A sudden depressive air filled all three, and they let that same silence stay this time. A single phrase held in each of their heads: What could they even do?

_ “There has to be  _ ** _something_ ** _ , anything, guys.”  _ Tails’s voice is nervous, trying to fill the void with words.  _ “The Resistance is dying, everyone is losing hope- even if you need to make robots turn, even if you need to make people join by force-”  _ His voice comes to a halt, not only due to the broken connection, but due to hope that was swiftly crumbling.  _ “even if you need to find Sonic. We need something.”  _

The simple phrase made the three of them immediately tense further than they had before. Sonic, the leader of the Resistance, the one who could put hope and optimism and all of them- the one who was presumed dead. “...Tails,” one of the two hedgehogs speak; Silver, his voice soft and solemn. “Tails. There’s. We’ll.” He stops. There’s nothing they can do, there’s nothing that neither Silver, Shadow, Tails or the entire Resistance can do. Silver looks at Shadow only to find the other hunched over, eyes screwed up, lips curled back in a snarl as he thinks to himself. “We’ll find Sonic.”

Both Silver and Tails seemed surprised; Silver’s eyes grow wide, mouth wavering with uncertainty, and Tails squeaks from beyond the communicator’s receptors. “Tails, you’re right. We need Sonic. We’ll be grounded into meat by that bastard dictator if we don’t have him.” Shadow nearly snarls, brought to speak by pent up emotion. The bonfire flickers dangerously, close to breaking apart.

The air that hangs between them all is heavier than it had ever been before; Silver looking alarmed and nervous while Shadow picks at his knee with his free hand anxiously. They all know that it’s most likely that Sonic is dead, that he’s been killed by the Empire and thrown in a massive grave filled with nameless nobodies who dared speak against them. But they know that they’re at odds against the whole world. The Resistance is small, barely fifty people, fighting against a dictatorship that spanned globally. The chances were apocalyptic, but it was  _ anything,  _ and they three of them were desperate.

_ “...Good luck, soldiers.”  _ Tails eventually speaks, voice soft and nearly inaudible.  _ “The Resistance is on your side. I’d say the best place to start would be the capital of the Empire.”  _ As if the three couldn’t be any tenser. Silver gulps, playing with his fingers as he hears this news. All Shadow whispers out is a restrained  _ “damnit.”  _ under his breath.  _ “One of the salvaged Omega’s claims there’s a maximum security testing facility under Robotnik Tower that spans the whole city. If Sonic is still alive, he’d be- th- there.”  _ An unsteady breath, obviously shaking away tears.

The two hedgehogs feel the cold breeze of the night, listening to the creak of dying trees and the buzz of insects. Tails’s words ring heavy in their ears, and the two feel as if the weight of the world was held on their shoulders. Shadow lets out a strained “Be safe out there, Tails.” Before he cuts offline and breaths shakily.

The bonfire goes out with a hiss. As Shadow breathes out heavy and tear-filled breaths, Silver simply stares into the darkness around them.


	2. Infinite

The Great Egg Empire. A great kingdom that housed billions of robots and citizens alike, and a kingdom that spanned across the entire planet. Each city molded from the Empire’s hands was massive in its own right; skyscrapers cutting through clouds, neon lights making the buildings dance in the dead of night. Countless amounts of data ran from one place to another in millions of high-strung telephone wires, and the constant flow of city streets were filled with life going about their day. It was a modern-day utopia, a place beyond the dying patches of organic life, a place of pure, complete capitalism. 

And the center of it all was the capital: New Colony ARK. Named after the space station of the same name, it was the hub of all things Eggman- where a sprawling amusement park assembled itself in a gargantuation shape of the Doctor’s insignia. Roller Coasters circled around massive apartment complexes, merry-go-rounds and tilt-a-whirls sat upon the roofs of shorter office buildings, and lights perpetually lit up the dark sky in a vibrant slurry of colors. It was the most precious, prized possession to the dictator, and the biggest feat the new Empire had ever accomplished. 

Even from the swampy shores of the island, the lights could be seen. Silver had spent the night pacing back and forth, circling around the perimeter of the beach an endless amount of times, unable to sleep. Each time he would see those distant colors, he’d shudder, biting his lip before continuing onward. Shadow had passed out after a long few hours of silence, and Silver gave himself a flimsy excuse in the form of keeping a lookout.

_ “...The best place to start would be the capital of the Empire…” _Tails’s words rang in his head, a constant loop of the phrase making the psychics around him grow erratic; irritated. “As if our mission couldn’t get anymore perilous…” The white hedgehog sighed, paws sinking into the swampy earth, watching the moon reflect over the deep water. It was a miracle that the moon could even break free from the black clouds, and Silver looked towards the glow of the moon above. “Blaze,” he let out a soft breath, his quills slightly arched in stress. “what would you do in this situation?” The moon, Blaze or otherwise, didn’t respond to his wistful breath. Instead, it held there silently, staring down as a tranquil judge. Silver could almost feel its stare on him.

A cloud began to shroud the moon’s gaze, and Silver’s amber eyes moved to settle on the movement of the lights beyond. It was a much more sinister glint than the moon’s glow, like it was a beckoning hand that knew Silver was going to most likely meet his demise. The white hedgehog held his arms to his side, paws curled into fists, stare growing hard as he began his pace once more. _ Blaze wouldn’t even be in this situation. She would have brought enough people to take on this accursed mission better. What an idiot I am. _

Silver began his journey around the perimeter of the island once more, listening to the water lap against the soaking wet sand. As he walked, leaves would rustle behind him, and Silver tensed. Could one of Robotnik’s minions be here? Could they of found him and Shadow? Minty blue aura surrounded the hedgehog’s hands, and he readied himself as the rustling came closer.

A figure came from the shroud of the bushes, and as the figure emerged, Silver recognized it to be Shadow. Slowly, his hands lowered, and a relieved smile temporarily came across his muzzle. “Shadow.” He spoke softly, moving his sight away from the other and across the ocean once more. “I’m glad you’re awake.”

Shadow came up beside Silver, crossing his arms. There were heavy bags under his eyes, Silver noticed almost immediately. He chose to ignore it, as well as the particular nasally hiss to Shadow’s voice. “Silver.” A simple greeting. Nothing more to be said.

They both turned their heads to watch the distant shadows of the city across the short expanse of ocean, the island dark and calm against the lights and action of mainland beyond. Seconds crawled by as the two watched; both alike in body and mind, they would similarly think on the suicide the two would be getting into, and the all too uncertain stakes because of it. Suddenly, the dying island looked all too welcoming.

“I bet that place is crawling with robots.” Silver hummed, an ear flicking. Silver hoped that Shadow would agree, that he’d assure them both on the safety of the mission, but the red and black hedgehog nodded in agreement. “All ready to rip us apart.” Silver gulped at those words.

Shadow inclined his head to the side, glancing towards Silver. “We’ll need to head there now.” Though Silver knew the other for impulsive decisions, Silver still looked alarmed, body suddenly ablaze with psionic light. But it soon fizzled, followed by a squeaky, fearful voice. “Now- Now?! Shadow, do you know how dangerous that is? Don’t we need plans, things to work out?”

“We’re on a suicide mission, Silver.” Shadow opened his arms out, looking beyond the horizon line. “Either way we’re going to be skewered, disemboweled, burned, ripped to bloody pieces. If we go during the day, the place will be swarmed with enemies left and right. If we go during the night, there’ll probably be not as many.” Before Silver could retort, Shadow would place a hand on his shoulder, eyes hard as he stared at the other. “If we wait even one more day, that’s one more day for Eggman. One more day for the Resistance to fall. One more day Sonic is getting tortured, even if he is alive.” There was something beyond that stare, something that screamed terror and anxiousness. It was something that Silver saw in himself, and it made the white Mobian hesitate.

“I’m not the one to risk my life for something so uncertain. But what I am is someone who won’t let this world die.” Shadow bit his lip idly, before turning his back to Silver. He hardened right then and there, leaving Silver to sadly stare. He didn’t know Shadow like the others did, he didn’t know about his past like some. But he knew Shadow was thinking about it.

“I guess we go now.” Silver spoke, voice still nervous, mind still thinking that this was a bad idea, a terrible idea. But- it was the best idea out of a thousand worse ideas. It was the best shot they had.  


* * *

  
The lights grew the closer they approached, a barely audible sound blossoming into a conglomerate of sounds that was obviously carnival. The screams of riders on various attractions, the rattle and clank of Roller Coasters, the chatter of mindless individuals. It was so much and so loud that the two hedgehogs could hear it as they traveled across the oily ocean waves. Silver was flying upon the glow of his psychics, eyes closed in concentration, while Shadow skated across the surface of the water on his shoes. 

It would only take thirty minutes before they reached the edge of the shore, Silver landing gracefully on a rickety old dock and helping Shadow up with his arms. They both looked around, ears pulled back to try and muffle the constant boom of the amusement park city. As both of them searched for any glance of a machine, Shadow huffed irritably. “What a capital this is.” He was noticeably more upset than he was on the island.

“Tails always talked about that dictator’s obsession with theme parks.” Silver responded with a slight hum, beckoning the other over as he slipped beyond the corner of a building. Despite the flashy lights and the welcoming atmosphere, the underbelly of the city was dark and musty. Though there were no signs of crime immediately, the two knew the lowermost places of this industrial nightmare were seedy. At least, it was free of any attack, at least for now.

Silver closed his eyes, his psions gently creeping from his figure. “Robotnik Tower is most likely in the center of it all.” He spoke, walking along the alleyway with Shadow at his side. “That would be…”

“North west.” Shadow replied, already suspecting they had arrived near the corner of the city. “Just follow the lights up ahead. It would be obvious if Eggman’s home was the brightest landmark.” Shadow almost spoke to himself, tapping his chin in thought. 

“Right.” Silver kept it at that, keeping his psychics aglow in case anything might come out of nowhere. New Colony ARK was a dangerous place; they wouldn’t want to let their common sense slip. 

The eerie lack of ambush stayed in the air until mere moments after they rounded a second corner. As they crept along, the sound of yelling would grace their ears. 

“Let go of me, you robotic _ bitch!” _It was a hiss, nearly a shriek, beyond the corner of a nearby building. Shadow was the first to rush forward, skidding to a halt on his boots as went to see the source of the commotion. Silver was soon to follow, a surge of psychics making him nearly glide across the air.

A supposed civilian of the city was being wrangled by a metallic being, nearly choking as she was held up by her neck. She wasn’t close enough to know the exact species, but she was avian- struggling as she found against the machine’s iron grip.

Silver spoke first, instincts itching in him. _ “Release her!” _His voice, which was temporarily loud and booming, fizzled off into fearful silence as the robot turned its head. Glowing red eyes met Shadow and Silver’s own, and it soon enough released the startled avian, making her scatter as soon as possible. The threat of her life was gone, but the threat of the hedgehog’s lives were not.

“RESISTANCE MEMBERS SPOTTED.” A hollow, threatening voice echoed from the Metal Sonic’s torso, turning its body and letting its right arm shift into that of a weapon. “SENDING BACKUP IMMEDIATELY.” The metallic creature wasted no second in revving its engine, before racing forward at breakneck speed.

Gasping in terror, Silver acted on instinct- picking up Shadow with psychics and sending him into the air, as well as summoning a shield in front of him. Silver skidded back multiple feet as the Metal Sonic slammed into the barrier, Silver already gritting his teeth with restraint. 

Silver let the barrier of psychic energy explode outward, sending the machine flying backwards, and making it slam against a wall of a building. Shadow’s height gave him a greater vision of view, and yelled out _ “There’s more coming behind you!” _before he broke free of Silver’s powers and dashed back down to shred the first of many Metals into scrap.

One of the Metal Sonics came forward with a saw blade, eyes glowing red while another sped forward, claws attempting to grab at Silver. Silver sent a blast of energy through the second one’s chest, and as it inevitably exploded, it brought the first down with it. 

Another was quickly dodged by Shadow, attempting to turn but only racing right into the wall that killed the first. At first they seemed to of gained the upper hand, but as moments passed by in a blur, the two would realize that only more and more were arriving. 

“We need to go! _ Now!” _Shadow called over the racket, his voice twisting into a pained snarl as a Metal sent its saw blade arm raking across Shadow’s chest. The pain left him temporarily stunned, and soon enough another Metal, and then another and another were swarming him. The hedgehog fought off them, but it was clear he was going to eventually run out of energy to continue. 

Silver let out a scream, a surge of energy not only knocking off the impending swarm from the both of them, but also sending them both flying upwards the beyond the gaggle of robots. Shadow didn’t look down to see if they were following- he would only yell out in alarm as Silver sent them both flying towards the tallest building in the capital.

Using the last of his power, Silver would let the two crash against the side of the building, before sliding painfully to the ground. Silver promptly collapsed- breathing heavily, his chest heaving, eyes screwed shut. He was covered in similar scratches that Shadow carried, but the bags under his eyes and the limpness of his body made it clear: he was far more exhausted.

Shadow unsteadily made his way to his feet, shaking from the encounter. As his quills spiked in stress, he’d glance around, only to see-

Fuck.

The Metal Sonics surrounded them, eyes glowing red and bodies whirring with unending energy. The boom and noise seemed like background static as they inched closer, one moving ahead of the rest. “RECITE YOUR LAST WORDS, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG.” 

Shadow said nothing in response.

The one in front of the rest - the leader of them, Shadow assumed - raised his arm, the metallic limb twisting and turning until it formed a firearm. Shadow could feel fear creep into him, his mouth growing dry and body growing tense as he faced death right in the face. He knew it was a suicide mission, knew it was all going to lead to death, whether he liked it or not. So why was he so nervous?

Before the Metal could fire, a figure came down from the blinding lights ahead. Almost as if it was floating on a bed of pixels, it came down, hovering above the group of metallic soldiers. Shadow barely heard the sound of Silver groaning and shifting, instead looking up to glare towards the body of Eggman’s right hand man.

“No need to fire, Metal.” Infinite nearly sneered, single visible eye glowering down at the two of them. “Quite the adventure you two went on, hm? One single fight with a few robots and you’re already tuckered out. I suppose I could set aside a room for you…” Infinite looked to the side, clearly mocking the two of them.

“If you’re going to kill us, do it.” Shadow hissed. He didn’t think about how the mission had become a failure in such a short amount of time, didn’t think about how upset the Resistance would be back home. He pushed it all away in favor of snarling towards the jackal. 

“Oh, that just won’t do.” Shadow could feel the smirk behind Infinite’s mask. “You are your… little friends have been such entertainment. Listening in on your plans, watching you sleep outside like cavemen… It’s a dream, really.” Infinite laughed, crossing his arms behind his back.

Shadow felt cold horror seep into his gut, his rage puttering out. He’d glance towards Silver, the two sharing the same terrified expression. The two’s horrified look only made him laugh harder.

“You think the your rebellion is lasting due to hubris? Due to talent? You’ve got to be kidding me.” He feigned wiping a tear from his face. tail wagging in his excitement. The Metals below kept their expressionless stares. “Eggman has what he wants. The only reason he won’t crush you into nothing is because I just _ love _watching you all struggle.

“And besides,” Infinite sighed, faking concern. “I already have my perfect little playmate when it comes to killing. Oh, you know who it is, my friend.” 

As realization slowly came upon the two hedgehogs on the ground, Infinite would cackle with laughter. Silver would eventually squeak softly. “You have…?”

“Sonic? Yes. He’s been alive all these years. I’m surprised he hasn’t shriveled up and died. Really persistent, he is.” Infinite looked at his nails idly, humming a soft melody. “You know, my friends… it is quite boring watching him squirm. Watching him keel. Perhaps it would be more entertaining watching you try to deal with him on your own. He’s quite the hassle.”

_ “Give him to us, right now.” _Shadow’s lips curled back in a threatening growl, eyes narrowed to slits. Even if he was facing a powerful enemy, he still felt rage boiling within him. Claws slightly poked from his gloved paws, ears pulled back. 

Infinite rolled his visible eye. “Or perhaps, I could send him to the Metals for fun. I bet they’d love target practice.” Infinite dismissed Shadow with a wave of his hand, and Shadow felt white hot pain fill his chest. Looking down, he’d see a flurry of red pixels, scratching him like burning claws. Shadow collapsed into a ball, Silver calling out his name in concern.

“This is only a _ fraction _ of what that disgusting blue rat felt.” Infinite growled, slowly curling his hand into a fist. As the hand curled, Shadow would shriek with pain, the agony only growing stronger. “He’d act just like you, you know. Defiant. Entitled. _ Annoying. _You’re really getting on my nerves with your little attitude game.”

He suddenly released the red and black hedgehog, and he grew silent, heaving in pain as he lay on the ground. Silver, concern filling his gaze, would only look up towards the jackal. “Let us see him.”

“Hm?”

Silver bit back embarrassment and anger, eyes narrowing. _ “Please let us see him.” _

“That’s more like it.” Silver waved back a tsunami of hatred, gently helping Shadow onto his feet. “Metals, dismiss.” The group of machines looked at each other briefly, before scattering in multiple directions. Behind the two hedgehogs, the door to the building would slide open.

“Go find that miserable waste yourself.” Infinite sneered, and he adjusted his mask. “I won't be so kind on your way out.” With a snap of his finger, he disappeared, and the two were left to weakly stumble into Robotnik Tower.


	3. Cells

The door slid shut behind both of them, leaving both Silver and Shadow to stare idly back towards the glass, looking beyond at the murky night. It seemed that only moments ago they were back at that island, no, back at the  _ base,  _ preparing to leave and readying themselves for the journey they were getting themselves into.

Who knew it would already be such a disaster.

Despite the pain that still throbbed his head, Shadow took a moment to look around the small lobby of sorts. It was clear this wasn’t the main entrance to the tower- it was metallic and cold, with a single fluorescent light that hung from the ceiling. A single reception desk gathered dust near the back of the room, and beyond both the left and right ends of the room sat two elevators. Shadow rightfully chose to ignore the elevator that had an arrow pointing upwards next to it, and turned to face the opposite end of the room.

Shadow was the first to approach the other elevator, though Silver wasn’t far behind. He paused, hand in midair, red eyes hesitating- but Shadow pushed any fears that were budding aside, and pressed the button that was situated next to the elevator. Moments passed, and the two were soon standing in the small, cramped space.

A few more buttons inspected and pressed, and the elevator began to move with a gentle, wispy whirr. With thoughts dancing between either of them, the two let the whirr of the elevator take up most of the noise. The silence was uncomfortable, uneven. With thoughts - and likely a shared regret of them taking on this mission - buzzing around their heads, they could only make the silence worse as the seconds ticked by.

Eventually, Silver murmured. “Do you really think he’s here?” The doubt in his voice made Shadow turn, ever so slightly perturbed. “This could very well be a trap, Shadow. We might be taking a one way trip to…” His voice tapered off, the unfinished sentence floating around them like sickly, contagious air.

Shadow coughed, covering his muzzle with a gloved paw. “He’s here.” The smallest glint of a sharp edge to Shadow’s tone was present, and Silver only responded in a sullen, defeated shrug. “He’s here. I’m sure of it. Gut feeling.” Shadow was of impulse, though not completely following his instincts. At least when it wasn’t a battle. Silver sighed.

The elevator came to an unsteady halt, before opening with a creak. The two hedgehogs left the confined space; Silver already flaring up the last few specks of psychic power he had left, whilst Shadow readied his claws and razorback quills.

The first thing they noticed was the smell. Sterile and hospital-like, it gave off an immediate creepy feeling that settled in them both. It was almost certain that this fake smell of chemicals and cold air was a thin veil- over what, exactly? The two weren’t entirely sure. But it was enough to make the both of them look at each other cautiously. The next they’d notice was the sight. It resembled abandoned warehouses that used to dot the landscape, when the Empire was just beginning to take over- it was grey and metallic, completely silent aside from a distant bang or screech. The walls were covered in a shiny metallic sheen that looked all too similar to a Metal Sonics hide. Holographic signs depicted a labyrinth of hallways and deadends, and harsh fake lights kept it all unnaturally bright. The whole complex was filled with the buzz of those fluorescent lights.

Shadow made his way to the closest holographic panel, narrowing his eyes as he looked about the maze that was the building. It all seemed to be random- deadends leading to deadends, some pathways simply looping around each other, some with hallways that led to nothing but other hallways. It made the hedgehog confused, even angered as he took it all in. What was Eggman playing here? What was  _ Infinite  _ playing here? Was this really the place they kept their top prisoner? 

Eventually, Shadow would notice something. A particular pattern- with each second right hallway, if they continued to turn right, they would eventually make their way to the center of the base. It was a broken, strange spiral-like pattern, and at least it was  _ something.  _ It was the most logical place to leave Sonic. And if not, at least they had a good hub area to go off of. Silver shrugged once more to the suggestion.

“At least it’s something.” He noted.

The hedgehogs began down the right path, silent aside from the echoing taps of their shoes on the ground. They were sense, almost painfully so- and each distant creak or clang of metal made them both ready themselves for a fight. The conflicts before had greatly taken a toll on the both of them- and their once threatening imagines degraded into weak, desperate stances. But, at least it was something to go off of.

As they continued down the nearly endless number of corridors, Silver would turn to his own communicator. It took a lot more tapping and messing around with to even get it to function, but soon enough a small, familiar screen blinked into life. A friendly, if startled voice answered.  _ “S-Silver? Is everything okay on your end? I wasn’t expecting a call…” _

“Yeah, we’re uh.” The white hedgehog fell behind Shadow, scratching the back of his head. “We’re fine.” Silver chose to ignore Shadow’s huff of breath from in front of him. “We’re in the Tower.”

_ “Wait-”  _ The voice cracks, making the communicator’s speaker twitch and break apart, if only for a moment.  _ “already?! What happened? It’s only been a few hours! Did you get hurt-” _

“We nearly died.” Shadow called back, shifting his head to stare at Silver with a steely red glare. “A pack of those Metal clones would of made a meal out of us, if Silver didn’t throw us out of there.” The mentioned white hedgehog sheepishly grinned, muzzle going red at the memory. 

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing really…”

_ “That’s great!”  _ The voice on the other end nearly yelped in relief.  _ “Where are you now? Have you found him yet?”  _ The two responded with a simultaneous no, one sounding exhausted and the other sounding a mix between exasperation and anger.

_ “Shit. Well- good luck again. The base’s electrical power will run out soon. Blaze and me are trying to fix the generator, but it’s taken a lot longer than we imagined. Call me when you find Sonic!”  _ The voice didn’t specify dead or not, but the two hedgehogs could tell they were thinking it. The holographic communicator turned off with a  _ click. _

  
  


The deeper they went into the complex, the colder it got. The lights that had once shone harshly had now dimmed to a near black, and the smell that used to be sterile and hospital-like had melted into a sickening, rot smelling stench. Silver had to cover his muzzle. Shadow narrowed his eyes at it all.

The click of their heels against the titanium floor had become all encompassing, the only sound echoing through the halls other than the two’s shaky, chilled breaths. When they walked, they left footprints, as the floor has been covered with a small sheen of dust. 

“I wonder why they’d neglect all of this…” Silver murmured into the silence, looking about the long, frost-bitten corridors. Even with Shadow at his side he felt the eerie feeling of being alone- completely and utterly alone with his thoughts. It left a shiver of fear that crawled down his spine; or, perhaps it was simply the cold. Silver had a hard time telling.

Shadow rounded the right-hand corner at the end of the hallway, his body tense with the same cold that was getting to Silver. His once persistent and hard expression changed in that moment, taking a swift step backwards- and he turned his head towards Silver. “Get a look at this.” Shadow beckoned with a gloved paw, his momentary alarm quickly shifting from a moment’s worth of fear, and then blankness.

Picking his way over, Silver cautiously peeked around the edge of the doorway. Down the bleak corridor was… Nothing, at first. It was the same metallic floor and walls, the same bits of ice that chipped at the corners of the walls. It was all the same, and Silver felt confusion mingle with the fear that filled his stomach. 

Silver’s amber gaze followed Shadow’s, until he caught sight of what seemed to be a cell. The bars were beginning to rust from neglect, and when Silver placed his hand upon the black bars, he picked up a flurry of dust. It made the young man sneeze, and he wiped his muzzle, snuffling. Shadow was moving further down into the hallway, checking each and every cell with cautious patience. 

Shadow didn’t note that Silver was catching up with him, not when his eyes glanced upon a figure in a cell. It was  _ something,  _ some kind of creature Shadow couldn’t recognize. But whatever it was, it had certainly gone through similar torture that Sonic had. It was lying in a single, ratty mattress, hospital gown stained and dirty. The body reeked of a stench that Shadow had only smelled a few times, and even he needed to cover his mouth once he saw the sight. Disgust lined his face like the streaks of red in his quills, and he would nod weakly when Silver eventually spoke “They’re dead…” in a wavering, nervous lilt. 

Shadow turned from the body, crossing his arms and closing his eyes tightly. He was in deep thought, a type of thought Silver didn’t wish to interrupt, something that the white hedgehog had seen on that island hours before. It made the male play with his fingers anxiously. 

Seconds seemed like eons before Shadow shifted from his position, eyes harder than they were before. “I’m tired of taking my time.” Shadow spoke through gritted teeth, the bags under his eyes seeming heavier than they were before. “Let’s get this over with.” He moved without so much as a confirmation from Silver, moving past each and every cell that was present in the room. Silver followed behind in a much less persistent manner, occasionally glancing aside to see an empty cell or something much, much worse.

Before either of them knew it, they found themselves standing in front of the only door at the other side of the room. The cold that was present deepened into a threatening freeze, making them both shudder tremendously, Even though they knew that this was the final door at the end of the spiral, of the labyrinth, they were still terrified. Terrified that this was a trap, terrified that it would lead to nothing, terrified that-

...that Sonic would be dead.

Shadow reached for the door handle, but something stopped him. His eyes betrayed his tough expression, displaying utter terror and anxiety. Silver soon realized the other male wouldn’t be able to open it.

With caution in his form, Silver gently placed his paw on the doorknob. With a small turn, the door would slowly open itself. 

Silver flared up his energy, casting an ethereal glow upon the entire room.

The room was darker than the rest, darker than even the deepest pits of the complex. Ice hugged the corners of the walls, glistening in the small light the two provided. Beyond the doorway were long titanium pillars, each stretching up to the ceiling, making up a tiny cell; tinier than any other cell they had seen. The cell held nothing- no bed, no table, not even any food bowls or toiletries. There was nothing but the floor, walls, pillars and ice. But when the two took a few cautious steps into the room, they would catch sight of another thing- stains scattering the floor of the cell. They were crusted and dry, but it was obviously blood. As Shadow inspected the blood nearest to the door, Silver would slowly look about the cell, until he saw.

“....Sonic?”

  
  



End file.
